Rafa Benitez post Southampton thoughts

17/01/2013chelseafc.com

After a couple of poor results at Stamford Bridge in recent weeks, we appeared to be on our way to securing our first home win of 2013 when goals from Demba Ba and Eden Hazard gave us a 2-0 half-time lead against Southampton.

The visitors, however, pulled one back through substitute Rickie Lambert, before Jason Puncheon equalised with a well-executed volley 16 minutes from time, and while we threw men forward in the closing minutes, we failed to find the breakthrough, leaving Rafael Benitez to reflect on another disappointing night.On the performance

'We started the second half and didn't manage the game or have the control we were expecting,' said the Blues manager. 'We didn't take our chances when we had them, which gave them hope they could score, and they did.

'At half-time I said we needed a third goal. We made a mistake which gave them a goal and we didn't take the chances we had.

'I spoke about us needing to be more clinical and tonight it was the same. We didn't score, gave them belief they could hurt us on the counter-attack and they did it.

'We should have won, but credit to Southampton, they played a good game.'

On our poor home form

'We can't be happy drawing at home, the next game has to be totally different, it's another challenge and we have to try to win the game.

'My idea is always to think about the next game, we have to be sure of getting three points in the next game against Arsenal.

'I'm disappointed; when you know your players and know what you can do it's difficult. We have to start thinking about how we will prepare for the next game, and that's what we'll do tomorrow.

'It's about analysing and trying to coach the players in the right way. We know the problems we have when the other team is well organised. We have to keep training and sustaining the ball.'

On where we need to improve

'You could see at 2-0, it's a question of experience and managing the game. We have to stay compact, then they would have had to come and try to find spaces.

'That's the point we were talking about, stopping them playing on the counter-attack, but that's what they did, and obviously we have to improve.

'We have to defend as a unit better, especially when you are winning, that's something we have to improve. At the moment we have good players, they have to carry on and try their best every day.'

On the introduction of Fernando Torres

'Torres is a professional; he concentrated and tried to give his best. I told him he had to play a bit towards the right, but also to get into the box. He was doing that, but I wanted him to leave space for [Juan] Mata between the lines.'

On John Terry on the bench

'Terry has no match fitness, and they weren't creating too much. It has to be the right time; the other day we were winning and I gave him the opportunity to play some minutes, but today wasn't the right game.

'He would have come on and had to play a high defensive line, which isn't good for a player who isn't fit.'